HOW MUCH: $12 for adults, $8 for seniors (65 and older) and free for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased on site or online. For e-ticket inquiries, call 949-732-7974

PARKING: On-site parking is available at South and West Halls. Valet parking is available for $30 per day. Valet entrance on Figueroa Street, south of Pico Blvd.

The LA Auto Show opens to the public Friday and, this year, our regional celebration of cars and the people who love them represents more than just the annual kickoff for the North American auto show season.

With the European and Chinese economies in turmoil, the U.S. market, and Southern California in particular, have become increasingly important for automakers who, this year, are hoping to cash in on Americans' rising consumer confidence. Manufacturers are debuting almost 50 new models at this year's show in an effort to convince customers to part with their money.

California accounts for roughly 11 percent of the country's 14 million auto sales annually, and is best known for its enviable weather, its embrace of green living and, of course, money. All of these traits are reflected in the many models making their debuts this week in LA.

If there's any theme to the show, it is, quite simply, more – especially with regard to luxury and green vehicles. There are more fastest-ever sport cars, including Jaguar's 186-mile-per-hour XFR-S sedan and Bentley Motors' 205-plus mph GT3 concept racer. There are more vehicles with environmental pedigrees, including a dramatic expansion of diesel from Audi and Mazda, as well as a hydrogen-fueled Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force concept and all-electric versions of the Fiat 500 and Chevrolet Spark. Playing to So Cal's temperate climate, there are more convertibles, such as the Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, Fiat 500c Abarth, Hyundai Veloster C3 concept and Jaguar F-Type.

"Of all the places where brands are made, Los Angeles is one of, if not the most, important market," said Andy Goss, president of Jaguar Land Rover North America.

The British maker of luxury sport cars and high-end SUVs is showing the Jaguar F-Type and aluminum-body 2013 Range Rover it debuted in Paris in September, as well as the new 550-horsepower XFR-S and other cars that traffic in speed and luxury.

Mercedes-Benz, whose E- and C-class models were the seventh and eighth bestselling cars in Orange County last year, will debut two cars at the L.A. Auto Show. Its SLS AMG Black Series, with a 0-to-60 acceleration time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 196, is the most powerful combustion-engine Mercedes-AMG ever built. The 622-horsepower, street-legal interpretation of the SLS AMG GT3 race car is sure to appeal to O.C. drivers who use California's canyons as a substitute for Germany's Autobahn.

Why throw off the cover in So Cal?

"It's an area where there's wealth as well as space to drive such an expensive car," Mercedes-Benz spokesman Christian Bokich said of its AMG models; 27.6 percent of AMG's U.S. sales have been to California buyers so far this year. It's also a place where drivers aren't like to run into another 2014 Black Series. Specific production figures are not available, but it's unlikely they'll get close to 200.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mercedes will show its Ener-G-Force Concept – a reimagination of its off-roading G-class as a hydrogen-powered police vehicle from the year 2025, designed in the German automaker's Carlsbad design studio. The powertrain is a progressed version of Mercedes' B-Class F-Cell hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, which, in the U.S., is only available in So Cal.

"Overall sales of hybrids and electrics, the vast majority are in California," said Ed Hellwig, editor of Edmunds.com. One-third of U.S. sales of electric vehicles and one quarter of hybrids are sold in the state. "It's the strongest market by quite a bit."

To take advantage of that market strength, Chevrolet is showcasing its all-electric Spark, capable of recharging to 80 percent in 20 minutes with a fast charger. With a starting price of less than $25,000, the Spark EV will be available next summer in just four markets: California, Oregon, South Korea and Canada. Fiat is likewise introducing its 500e, an all-electric version of its popular Cinquecento, as well as a convertible version of its turbocharged 500 Abarth.

"Almost every manufacturer sees L.A. as a good convertible show for obvious reasons," said Hellwig, who predicts the VW Beetle Convertible that made its world debut this week will do "as well or better" than the recently remodeled hardtop with its more masculine profile.

With its Veloster C3 roll top convertible concept, Hyundai is fusing Californians' eco inclinations and outdoorsy-ness. Its soft top, made from repurposed truck tarps, can fold back, allowing drivers the fresh-air driving of a convertible, or it can fold forward, opening up a cargo space that is floored in recycled skateboards and can carry a stack of surfboards.

Environmental awareness is playing out any number of ways, most notably with an increasing array of powertrain choices automakers are offering customers – oftentimes within the same nameplate. More manufacturers are offering the same car in gasoline, turbocharged and other versions. That trend continues with new models on view at the show, including the 2014 Ford Fiesta with three different engines, two of which are turbocharged for better fuel economy. Ford debuted its 1-liter, 3-cylinder engine estimated to get 40-plus mpg at the show.

Audi announced it is expanding its diesel offerings from two models to six, with clean diesel variants of the A6, A7 and A8 luxury sedans and Q5 SUV. Mazda indicated it will be the first Asian automaker to offer a clean diesel car variant in the U.S. with its redesigned 2014 Mazda6. The Skyactiv gas version will be available in January with a clean diesel following in the second half of next year.

"In terms of value for consumers and also from the standpoint of fuel economy gains, we think it will provide us a competitive advantage," said Jim O'Sullivan, chief executive of Mazda North American Operations in Irvine. "We have diesel on the CX-5 in Europe and Japan, but our first strategy is to launch with the Mazda6 in the U.S. and look at opportunities to expand further depending on how the market reacts."

Mazda hasn't announced pricing or fuel economy for the diesel Mazda6; the 2013 Mazda6 starts at $20,725 and gets up to 30 mpg highway. A diesel variant is likely to post even more significant mpg gains than the 20 percent fuel economy improvement Mazda anticipates for the gasoline-powered 2014 Mazda6. O'Sullivan said the payback period for the diesel premium of the new Mazda6 will be quicker than that of a hybrid.

While auto shows get the most attention for reveals of entirely new cars, they are, in the end, geared toward consumers as a form of one-stop shopping. This year's L.A. show marks the debuts of several car updates, including the 2013 Honda Civic, which was the No. 3 seller in O.C. last year despite being pilloried by critics. Honda Motor Co. is showing its new 2013 Civic, on sale now with more upscale styling on its front and rear ends, including a honeycomb mesh grill and a revised rear trunk lid, as well as improved safety and comfort features. The fourth generation RAV4 also gets a major refresh, losing its spare tire on the rear gate and refashioning the back door so it lifts up rather than out.

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